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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28974909">the moon, the sky, and the morning star</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/jangjoos/pseuds/jangjoos'>jangjoos</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>chasing the sun-verse [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>ONEUS (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bad Astronomy, M/M, Mentions of Seoho, Moon!Youngjo, Multi, Polyamory, Slice of Life, Venus!Dongju, but dont worry about it!, dongju drives a motorcycle, dongju is geonhak and youngjo's personal messenger pigeon but they wuv him, geonhak still works at the gas station in the sky, incredibly cryptic worldbuilding, mentions of geonhak/seoho, retro diners and cafes, vague allusions to the end of the world</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 08:07:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,180</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28974909</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/jangjoos/pseuds/jangjoos</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>From what Dongju knows, from all the conversations and messages and gifts he’d relayed between them, Geonhak and Youngjo first met before the birth of all things. Before Seoho drove the sun across the sky for the very first time, and of course, before the Morning Star was willed into existence with Dongju in tow. They’d met at the beginning, and Dongju assumes that they’ll meet again at the end.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kim Geonhak | Leedo/Kim Youngjo | Ravn, Kim Geonhak | Leedo/Kim Youngjo | Ravn/Son Dongju | Xion, Kim Geonhak | Leedo/Son Dongju | Xion, Kim Youngjo | Ravn/Son Dongju | Xion</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>chasing the sun-verse [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2125299</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>the moon, the sky, and the morning star</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/jjxneus/gifts">jjxneus</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hmmm,,,, how can i Absolutely Destroy kwunkwun for being the absolute loveliest person in the world,,, oh, i know! *slaps all their faves into one fic*</p><p>yeah, this takes place in the same au as chasing the sun. it also takes place at the same time as chasing the sun. yeah, geonhak still kisses seoho. he gets around, they're all cool with it. you don't need to read chasing the sun in order to understand this (i hope???) but they are kinda meant to be a set so id recommend it !</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Throughout four billion years of his life, Dongju's found that he has a lot to be grateful for. He has his motorcycle, the Morning Star, a vehicle that can traverse the skies in daylight and darkness alike, illuminating any road that stands in his way. He has his freedom-- and that’s not something he can truly say about anyone else he knows and loves. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the daytime, Dongju chooses to exercise this freedom by mimicking Seoho’s sun-trail, albeit at his own pace. He’d leave just before dawn, revelling in the dim and dreary light of the great sky before the sun drives by and illuminates it wholly. And he’d usually get to Youngjo just after Seoho’s light retreats from the world for another night, just before the other stars begin to make their way around the world, billions following billions. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s around that time already. The sky’s lovely twilight hues are only made lovelier by Dongju’s pink-tinted goggles. The horizon ahead of him is disrupted by a shock of neon lights.</span>
</p><p><span>The giant neon sign will always point to the entrance, identifying the building as </span><em><span>The Moon</span></em><span> in blinding fluorescent colors, but the fun part is the fact that the moon</span> <span>is never constant. It takes Dongju different amounts of time every day to get here, as the location itself moves in the sky and orbits around the earth. As well, the building serves different purposes at different points in the lunar cycle. It’s thrilling. </span></p><p>
  <span>Dongju parks his motorcycle at the front-most spot and hangs his helmet on one of the mirrors. There’s nobody else here, not yet. Pink, green, and blue light from the sign blur into a kaleidoscopic mess on the concrete below. He steps inside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The waxing crescent is one of Dongju’s favorite points of the lunar cycle; those are the nights when Youngjo’s little spot in the sky takes the form of a quaint cafe. The floor is checkered, and all the chairs, arranged around tiny round tables, have been lined with red cushions. The display case is filled with little treats-- cookies shaped like stars, and dwarf stars in the shape of cookies. There’s another neon sign behind the counter, once again reminding him that he’s at </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Moon</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dongju doesn’t find Youngjo at the counter. Instead, he’s at one of the tables with his sketchbook out in front of him. He’s working on an isometric sketch of the room, from the sign to the counter to all of the cafe’s tables and chairs. It’s impressively detailed. His table’s practically covered in a fine layer of graphite dust.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have a message,” Dongju announces. “It’s from Geonhak.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shrugs his jacket off-- it’s an old jacket, an expensive but resilient thing that’s just a little too big for him-- and slings it over the chair directly across from Youngjo. Then, he pulls it out and takes a seat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You aren’t even going to say </span>
  <em>
    <span>hi </span>
  </em>
  <span>first, baby?” Youngjo holds his pencil out, taps it against his feline smile. “I’ve missed you. It’s been two days.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, because I couldn’t visit yesterday.” Dongju says, pout forming on his lips. “And really, whose fault is that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Youngjo’s eyes soften. He lays his pencil down, and it makes a pleasant little noise when it clashes against the steel surface. “The moon doesn’t listen to me, Dongju. When are you going to get that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dongju rests his chin on the table and narrows his eyes. “I’ll get that when you finally tell me what the hell that </span>
  <em>
    <span>means</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead of explaining anything, Youngjo laughs, then reaches across the table to push one of Dongju’s blond locks out of his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did Geonhak say?” Youngjo asks him. He’s on a new page of his sketchbook, now. This time, it looks like he’s drawing the sign outside.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carefully, Dongju reaches into one of the pockets of his leather jacket. Geonhak’s letter isn’t in the condition it was in when he’d gotten it from him, all folded and wrinkled and worn from a day of driving, but there aren’t any signs of major damage to the paper. When Youngjo takes it from Dongju, his hand lingers on Dongju’s hand for a moment. Dongju flinches at the contact. His hands are always so cold.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Youngjo says with a warm smile as he pockets the letter. </span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>From what Dongju knows, from all the conversations and messages and gifts he’d relayed between them, Geonhak and Youngjo first met before the birth of all things. Before Seoho drove the sun across the sky for the very first time, and of course, before the Morning Star was willed into existence with Dongju in tow. They’d met at the beginning, and Dongju assumes that they’ll meet again at the end. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And, since the beginning of time itself, neither of them have ever had the freedom to leave their posts. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s just luck that they’d managed to have Dongju fall in love with </span>
  <em>
    <span>both </span>
  </em>
  <span>of them, falling for Youngjo’s romantic gestures and easy flirting just as easily as he’d fallen for Geonhak’s nervous glances and gentle, fleeting touches. Dongju fell in love with them, and they have him as a medium of communication for as long as the moon rises at night, for as long as the sky rules the earth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But just as they met at the beginning of all things, Dongju’s sure that they’ll be able to see each other once again. When the sky burns away and the moon turns to ash, they’ll be free again-- and Dongju cannot wait for them to taste </span>
  <em>
    <span>freedom </span>
  </em>
  <span>with him, cannot wait for the day where the three of them can run into the horizon together, away from a burning world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have a message from Geonhak,” Dongju announces as soon as he walks in. The heels of his boots click loudly against the checkered floor, blending in with the sound of the door chimes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>On waxing gibbous nights, the moon becomes a diner. There isn’t much of a difference between the cafe’s decor and the diner’s, with all of their neon lights and striped cushions and posters strewn across the walls, but the cafe’s a good bit smaller. There’s a milkshake bar at the front of the diner, and that’s always a welcome addition.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Youngjo’s busy cleaning the bar. He’s dressed in Dongju’s favorite outfit on him, in a white shirt complete with a pair of suspenders and, amusingly, a red bowtie. The moment he hears Dongju’s voice, the sound of his shoes on the lacquered ground, his entire face lights up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You’re early,” he comments, reaching up to straighten his collar in a way that almost comes off as self-conscious. Cute. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe I just missed you today,” Dongju replies with a grin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He takes a seat by the bar and slides today’s letter across the table. Youngjo picks it up immediately this time, and the paper disappears off the counter so quickly that it’s hard to prove it was ever there in the first place. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’ll it be today?” Youngjo asks him. “Vanilla? Strawberry? Coffee?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Salted caramel, please.” Youngjo nods. Not even a second later, the salted caramel milkshake blinks into existence and slides itself over to Dongju’s side of the bar. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once Youngjo finishes his cleaning, he pulls one of his smaller sketchbooks out and lays it flat on the countertop. He pauses for a moment, looking around the room before looking back over at Dongju.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I draw you?” Youngjo asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dongju blinks, but this isn’t exactly a question he wasn’t expecting. “Go ahead,” he tells him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Youngjo started drawing a millennia ago, and Dongju knows of the contents of most of his sketchbooks. He knows that many, </span>
  <em>
    <span>many </span>
  </em>
  <span>of them feature him as the main subject. Many more feature Geonhak, although Geonhak’s never been able to pose for him. Despite this, Youngjo’s drawings of him are perfect because he never forgets a single detail about him, and Dongju has more than enough reason to believe that he never will.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Comfortable silence fills up the space between them as Youngjo draws, the scratch of graphite on paper and the sound of the wall clock’s ticking second hand permeating the room. Several minutes later, this relative silence is disturbed by the door chimes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>People are starting to arrive now. Outside, so many headlights shine through the darkness that it’s hard to tell it’s even night at the moment. While billions of drivers park their stars, only one or two people walk in; space works strangely, here in the celestial realm. A billion people can look like three. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Youngjo’s done drawing, he lays his notebook face-down on the table and slides it over to Dongju. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dongju flips it over carefully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s beautiful,” Dongju tells him, practically as soon as he sees it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Youngjo beams at him while he continues to stare. “It’s because you’re beautiful, princess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sap.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Brightest star in the night sky,” Youngjo singsongs, as if it’s anything of a scathing retaliation rather than a saccharine compliment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If his intention is to make Dongju flustered, he’d long succeeded. The diner’s dark, but Youngjo’s night vision is good-- he can probably see the faint color rising to his cheeks. </span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>The moon is never constant, but there’s one constant in Dongju’s life that he keeps going back to. And he’ll keep going back to it, forever and ever until the sky burns away and the moon turns to ash. Geonhak’s corner of the sky, the gas station, will be at the same place, it’ll serve the same purpose, and most importantly of all, Geonhak will always be there. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dongju spots him sitting on the curb with a foot crossed over his knee-- he’s wearing the grey hoodie today, and the skies are dreary and heavy with clouds. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dongju!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good morning, Geonhak.” Dongju runs a hand through his hair-- he doesn’t have it tied today, and it’s been getting into his face a bit more often than he’d like. “Did Seoho get here yet?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Geonhak stands up. He’s looking at him, now, with enough intensity to make him blush, staring at him like he’s the only star in the sky. “Actually, you beat him to me this time,” he tells Dongju, a small-but-warm smile squeezing his eyes into moon-like crescents. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dongju claps excitedly with both hands, a gesture that makes Geonhak laugh. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re so cute.” There’s the fondness, an emotion that clings to Geonhak’s voice whenever he speaks to Dongju, the gentle edge that makes him want to melt into the clouds below. And there’s the longing, something that rests between missing Dongju between his daily visits and missing Youngjo, for eternity.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Geonhak’s had his share of chasing the unattainable, but he’s not the type of person to ever, </span>
  <em>
    <span>ever </span>
  </em>
  <span>give up. Not on Seoho, who threatens to burn him every time he steps out of line, not on Youngjo, who he’ll never see until the end of time, and especially not on Dongju. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That jacket’s starting to look a little worn, don’t you think?” Geonhak frowns, reaching up to touch a spot where the leather’s been torn. It’s located just between Dongju’s shoulder and collarbone, and the touch feels a little too intimate. “Should I get you a new one?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!” Dongju says a little too quickly. “I mean, it’s fine! I think it looks cool.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you say so.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If Geonhak has a new jacket for him by the time he visits again tomorrow, Dongju thinks, he’s going to tackle him into the chip shelf inside his own convenience store. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead of saying anything else, Geonhak reaches into his pocket and pulls out a piece of paper. The paper he uses to write letters to Youngjo is so familiar to Dongju at this point that he doesn’t even think about asking for its contents.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Take this to him the next time you see him, alright?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And like always, a story that will be told until the end of time, Dongju agrees instantly.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>New moons are always lonely times for Dongju, but he finds himself visiting the place the moon would be on any other night. He parks his motorcycle on ground that doesn’t exist. There is no building, no binding neon sign-- there isn't even a parking lot to speak of today, but he knows that this would be the place. At some moments, he swears that he can hear the lights fizz and blink into existence. He’d close his eyes, expecting the familiar scene of the diner, the cafe, or even the car wash to greet him as he opens them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s grateful, he thinks, that these nights are the exception rather than the norm. Come tomorrow, he’ll be able to drive back here knowing that he’ll see the cafe again-- that he’ll see Youngjo again, and he'll be able to make sure that Geonhak's letter safely reaches its destination.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>(He’ll run between Youngjo and Geonhak’s arms until the sky burns away and the moon turns to ash, and when that happens, they’ll all know freedom.)</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thank u for making it through this . this whole au is just a mess of disjointed ideas so im genuinely surprised that ive been able to come up with two uh. coherent? fics for this :D since you've made it this far, why don't you leave a kudos and tell me a nice thing or two in the comments? id really appreciate it &lt;3</p><p>i don't know if i'll expand on this later on, but for now, here are some notes:<br/>-hwanwoong is either the earth or death. maybe both? the point is he's the only one of them who's ever visited the earth, but he has a ~duty~ like seoho so he can't really go wherever he pleases like dongju does :&gt;<br/>-keonhee is polaris! he's like geonhak and youngjo in that he can never move. he's good friends with pretty much all the other stars, and dongju and seoho always come to visit :D im thinking his star-vehicle thing is like. a big fancy rv<br/>-ot6 is a thing because they all wuv each other &lt;3</p><p>and hey kwunkwun if ure reading this happy birthday and ily very very much &lt;3 im not really good w words but i think u deserve all the happiness in the world and i hope u find a lot of things to smile about !!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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